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westwayneguy88888
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Thursday, July 4th, 2024 7:16 PM

4K boxes - difference in audio settings

1 have the Xi6 Wireless box as well as a wired DVR box (XG1v4) - and I noticed something very interesting I am hoping others can explain, or one of our Xfinity experts can address.

I have a Yamaha receiver (A6A) that is their latest model, full surround sound and can read out exactly what is being sent to it.

On the wired DVR 4k box, there are 3 settings to choose from

  1. Stereo - sent out as 2.0 PCM
  2. Auto detect - sent out as 5.1 Dolby Digital
  3. Expert - sent out as 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus

A couple of months ago, I got a 2nd 4K box and got one of those wireless Xi6 boxes, very cool that it does Dolby vision (the XG1v4 does not do Dolby Vision) - but something didnt quite sound the same, so I did the same thing as above and found that:

  1. Stereo - sent out as 2.0 PCM - the same as above
  2. Auto detect - sent out at 5.1 PCM - this is different than above and causes something interesting (see comment below)
  3. Expert - sent out at 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus - same as above.

Not that it REALLY matters to me because I'll just keep it on expert mode moving forward, but others should be aware of this difference.

The issue I referenced above:

  1. My receiver when getting a 5.1 Dolby signal processes it up to 7.1, and my surround back channels are engaged, a great full enveloping surround sound experience. This is true for 10+ years even when I only had the HD boxes.
  2. When my receiver gets a 5.1 PCM signal, it does NOT process it up to 7.1, and that surround sound was just less enveloping.

I contacted Yamaha and all my setting are correct on the receiver. My question is, why does the Xi6, even when it says "Dolby Digital" - in the onscreen menu for auto detect, send a PCM signal out of the box and to my receiver?

One would think there would be consistencies across the board for these kinds of settings.

Any other customers have an idea?

Any Xfinity employees have any idea, or wish to have me start a chat so it can be discussed further?

Thank you for your time and attention to this

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2 months ago

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XfinityJustinC

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2 months ago

Hello, @westwayneguy88888 thank you for taking time out of your day to create a post. You've reached out to the right place in regard to your question. I did find this document that supports having set in Expert Modem will ensure the best available Dolby is being passed through: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/dolby-atmos-x1

When you notice the difference of what is being displayed, have you happened to check the audio mode inside the set-top box to see if anything changes in there: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/x1-audio-output 

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westwayneguy88888

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@XfinityJustinC​ 

you are quoting exactly what I wrote in my lengthy post. Did you not read my entire post where I painstakingly detaied which audio setting the box was in and what my AVR was displaying? Why would you read my post and then say : "have you happened to check the audio mode inside the set-top box...."

Makes me think you didn't comprehensively read my post or notice the level of detail I was doing on these observations. and that frustrates me to write something out like I did, and receive a response like you provided.

Answer this simple question:

Why does "auto-detect" on every box send out a Dolby digital signal, while on the Xi6 does it outputs PCM for the same setting. I have 4 total boxes, 1 4K wired, 1 4K wireless, and 2 HD

Fairly simple question to ask, and i would be more than happy to go to chat if you need further details.

Thank you

(edited)

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2 months ago

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XfinityLinda

Official Employee

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1.2K Messages

@westwayneguy88888 Sorry about the continued concerns with the Xi6. After researching my docs on the Xi6 the following is shown for audio:

  • Audio
    • Stereo
    • Surround (Dolby 5.1)
    • Bluetooth Audio Out

If you feel the box is not working properly, we would gladly swap it out for you at the nearest Xfinity Store.

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Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
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2 months ago

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westwayneguy88888

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@XfinityLinda​ 

and Linda here didn't read my post either; 

there are 3 HDMI audio setting on a 4K box\

1) stereo

2) auto detect

3) expert

this has nothing to do with Bluetooth - this has to do with auto detect on the xi6 box behaving completely different than every other box you guys have. May I please talk to a technical support person?

Thank you

(edited)

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2 months ago

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XfinityLinda

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1.2K Messages

@westwayneguy88888 I apologize if you feel we are not reading your post. I can assure you we are. What I mentioned in my last post is my specification sheet for Xi6 didn't go into more detail about audio or auto-detect for Xi6. If you would like us to open a ticket, you are welcome to send us a Direct Message with your full name and address. 

 

To start a Direct Message: Click "Sign in" if necessary

• Click the "Direct Message" icon (upper right corner of this page)

• Click the "New message" (pencil and paper) icon

• Type "Xfinity Support" in the to line and select "Xfinity Support" from the drop-down list

• Type your message in the text area near the bottom of the window

• Press Enter to send your message.

 

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
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2 months ago

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westwayneguy88888

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@XfinityLinda​ OK, will do that

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2 months ago

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BIslander

Problem Solver

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354 Messages

2 months ago

Yes, stereo is 2.0 PCM.

Expert transcodes everything to DD+ and may trap a 2.0 input into a 5.1 output with the other three channels silent.

Auto uses the HDMI handshake to negotiate the output format.   Hard to know why you get different outputs with the two types of X1 boxes.  I only have the XG1v4, no Xi6, so can't compare. 

As for the lack of rear speaker engagement, that seems like a receiver issue.  If the X1 is actually sending 5.1 PCM, upmixing is up to the AVR.  Does it upmix 5.1 PCM from other sources like a disc player? 

(edited)

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westwayneguy88888

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@BIslander​ 

thats exactly my point, why would 3 of my 4 boxes placed in the same setup send DD, and the 4th does PCM.

it appears that my receiver upmixes 2.0 (both PCM and DD) to 7.1, as well as 5.1 DD to 7.1.

I'll be contacting yamaha about why 5.1 PCM does NOT appear to be upconverted to 7.1

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2 months ago

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BIslander

Problem Solver

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354 Messages

The Auto setting on some devices produces a Dolby MAT output, which is PCM with Dolby packaging.  The Auto setting on LG OLEDs is MAT as is Best Available on Fire Cubes.  Maybe that's happening with the Xi6.

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2 months ago

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westwayneguy88888

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@BIslander​ 

I want to know more about MAT, I sent you a PM 

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2 months ago

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